Pickled Onion Review #8: M&S Balsamic Onions & A Slice of Humble Pie

In the grand, and occasionally sticky, pursuit of knowledge, one must adhere to the scientific method. A hypothesis is formulated, subjected to rigorous, repeatable experimentation, and upon review of the empirical data, conclusions are drawn. Should the evidence contradict the initial hypothesis, it is the duty of the serious researcher to retract, recalibrate, and republish.

In an earlier diatribe (or, as I previously referred to it, an 'unjaring video'), I posited with considerable certainty that the inclusion of balsamic vinegar in the pickling medium of an onion was a chemical and moral failing. A secondary axiom stated that any onion aspiring to sweetness was an onion that had fundamentally misunderstood its purpose in life. Today, I find myself in the lab, my white coat spattered not with failure, but with a sweet, dark, syrupy vinegar.

I am here to formally retract my previous assertions and eat a rather large slice of humble pie; garnished, it seems, with a balsamic glaze.

The evidence in question is a jar of M&S Balsamic Onions. These have rather successfully disavowed me of my previously held notions.

I'm still firmly of the opinion that Silverskin Onions are just not big enough for a satisfying munch. They're the understudies of the onion world. However, the combination of honey and mustard in the pickling liquor here is genuinely enjoyable. They certainly lack the traditional, sharp bite of a good malt vinegar. Still, the gentle heat from the mustard does a decent job of stepping into that role.

The sweetness from the balsamic and honey isn't cloying; it's a balanced, more complex flavour than you get from just adding sugar. It's a different experience entirely from the sharp, punchy tang of a classic chip shop onion.

Would I swap them for a proper, grown-up, malt-vinegared onion? No. But that's not their purpose. These feel like a different category altogether. They’d be an excellent addition to a cheeseboard, or perhaps even as a strange sort of dessert following a couple of more substantial, sharper onions. A cheesecake of a pickled onion.

They've challenged my dogma, and for that, they deserve respect.

A surprisingly pleasant, thought-provoking onion that has forced a re-evaluation of my entire pickling philosophy.

3.5 onions out of 5.
🧅🧅🧅🌗❌